Publication date: Dec 28, 2024
COVID-19 can increase the long-term risk of multiorgan dysfunction. Few studies investigated the long-term risk in Asian populations or investigated the association between viral load and long-term risk. We aimed to investigate the post-discharge rates of hospitalization and association with baseline viral load in all patients with COVID-19 in Hong Kong. This was a population-based cohort study included all patients with a positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 in Hong Kong between January 1st 2020 and August 30th 2020, routinely admitted to public health care facilities for isolation and treatment. Viral Ct values were available in 3433 (85%) of patients. Outcomes of interest included death, cause-specific hospitalizations, and initiation of medication from the Hospital Authority’s territory-wide electronic health records from the Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System. In total, 4054 people in Hong Kong tested positive for COVID-19 and were admitted to a public health care facility, of whom 167 (4. 1%) were admitted to ICU. During a median follow-up time of 251 (interquartile range 240-279) days, 408 (11. 9%) were hospitalized for any reason and 16 (0. 5%) patients died. After discharge, patients were most often readmitted for respiratory reasons, followed by gastro-intestinal reasons. A higher viral load (lower RT-PCR Ct values) was associated with a higher likelihood of death (Hazard ratio [HR] 5. 86, 95% Confidence interval [CI] 2. 57-13. 33), hospitalization (HR 1. 22, 95%CI 1. 08-1. 39) or hospitalization for cardiovascular disease (HR 12. 78, 95%CI 3. 67-44. 48). Patients with higher viral loads more likely started ACE-inhibitors (HR 1. 37, 95%CI 1. 12-1. 68) and non-opioid analgesics (HR 1. 01, 95%CI 1. 01-1. 23). In a relatively mild COVID-19 population from Hong Kong, the post-acute risk of complications was substantial. Our results highlight that higher viral load predict post-acute complications in patients with relatively mild disease.
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Concepts | Keywords |
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August | Adult |
Opioid | Aged |
Pcr | Cohort Studies |
Viral | COVID-19 |
Female | |
Hong Kong | |
Hospitalization | |
Humans | |
Male | |
Middle Aged | |
Risk Factors | |
SARS-CoV-2 | |
Viral Load |